Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock (Tuesday) Market Report

La Junta, Colorado · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 20, 2020

1,045 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Winter Livestock (Tuesday) report →

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $121.00/cwt -5.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,043/hd at 862 lb · 29 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $122.00/cwt ≈ $798/hd at 654 lb · 27 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $115.23/cwt ≈ $591/hd at 513 lb · 24 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,045 5,196 1,447
Feeder cattle 422 4,672 1,187
Slaughter cattle 260 275 260
Replacement cattle 363 249 0

Total receipts for Mon and Tues sale: 8499 Compared with last Tuesday feeder steers and heifers lightly tested. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher. Slaughter bulls steady. Demand moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
403–437 418 9 137.50–138.00 $137.73 $576
503–521 511 16 130.00–131.00 $130.45 $667 -9.81
558–575 567 4 125.00–127.00 $126.02 $715 -6.14
617 617 5 125.00 $125.00 $771
651–655 654 27 122.00 $122.00 $798
709 709 23 120.00 $120.00 $851
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 12 144.00 $144.00 $655 -6.18
739 739 21 133.00 $133.00 $983
834 834 8 134.00 $134.00 $1,118 -5.75

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–326 324 7 140.00 $140.00 $454 -12.93
426 426 4 128.00 $128.00 $545
490 490 16 121.00 $121.00 $593 -1.98
502–527 513 24 114.00–119.00 $115.23 $591
553–583 579 16 115.00–116.00 $115.12 $667
693 693 8 116.00 $116.00 $804
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
366 366 7 144.00 $144.00 $527 -1.21
642 642 9 123.00 $123.00 $790 -9.00
651 651 18 125.00 $125.00 $814
862 862 29 121.00 $121.00 $1,043 -5.00

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
635–1460 1104 85-90% 19 33.00–41.00 $37.98 $419 +3.71
990–1143 1110 85-90% 5 50.00–55.00 $53.09 $589 +18.82
900–1405 1122 85-90% 30 42.00–49.00 $43.99 $494 -2.86
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1240–1435 1269 80-85% 7 57.00–61.00 $57.79 $733
1105–1420 1271 80-85% 33 50.00–56.50 $54.44 $692
1375 1375 80-85% 1 64.00 $64.00 $880
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1248–1775 1457 75-80% 12 60.00–64.00 $63.03 $918
1310–1695 1485 75-80% 8 51.00–58.00 $55.36 $822
1555–1705 1630 75-80% 2 65.00–66.50 $65.72 $1,071 +1.72

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1565–2095 1772 9 68.00–76.00 $71.79 $1,272 -1.17
1590–2000 1847 5 78.00–84.50 $82.42 $1,522

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1115–1601 1310 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 161 51.00–64.50 $57.10 $748

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What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.